The Boy of the Painted Cave [Paperback]

Tao is an outcast. Unlike the great hunters of his clan, Tao does not want to kill the wild bears or woolly mammoths of the hunt. Instead he wants only to paint them. But only Chosen Ones can be cave painters. What's more, Volt, the clan leader, violently despises Tao. And when the other clan members discover Tao's secret talent, they cast him out into the wilderness alone. There, he befriends a wild wolf dog named Ram, and the mysterious Graybeard, who teaches him thetruesecret of the hunt.Justin Denzelhas been intrigued with history and caves for many years. As a young man he worked at the American Museum of Natural History, where he studied prehistoric cultures. Later, while training for the Army in the days before World War II, he explored the mammoth underground caves of Tennessee.

Mr. Denzel's first professional writing experience came in Alaska, where he wrote and edited a periodical, The Alaskan. During World War II he wrote for Nature magazine and for Stars and Stripes.

Mr. Denzel is the author of many books for young readers, including the well-lovedBoy of the Painted Cave, published in 1988 by Philomel. He lives in Clifton, New Jersey, with his wife, Josephine.

copyright © 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.